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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Federal prosecutors say six Philadelphia narcotics officers have been indicted on racketeering and other charges for allegedly shaking down drug suspects for drugs and money.
Arrests were made Wednesday morning.
Authorities say the officers once held a suspect over an 18th floor balcony and used a steel bar to beat someone else in the head. They say another suspect was held captive in a hotel room for several days while he and his family were threatened.
In February, former Officer Jeffrey Walker pleaded guilty to stealing $15,000 from a drug dealer in a plot that also involved planting drugs in his car. His attorney has acknowledged Walker was cooperating in a wider probe of the drug trafficking unit.
Dozens of drug convictions have been overturned in the wake of the scandal.
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